The Woman of Illusion

Chapter 1

My name is Sam Logan, and I live in the seaside town of Colchester, which is located on the southwestern coast of England. It's a very nice place, as it is located right next to the sea. I would go swimming in the ocean every day from the start of May to the end of September.  It's great exercise and It helps me be an excellent swimmer.

I'm currently enrolled in a community college right next door to my house, so I only have to walk ten minutes to get there. I've taken classes there for two years, and I'm hoping to transfer to the University of Cambridge next year so I can study English and History there. Most of my mates went there and they all went on to have successful careers in a wide range of fields, from business to science.

I also work at my community college, doing a bunch of odd jobs around the campus, which range from tutoring to dog walking. One of the main benefits of it is that my tuition comes at a huge discount. That is bloody amazing because college is bloody expensive, even the community ones.

My daily routine is pretty simple. Every morning I would wake up around 9 AM and have a large brekky consisting of a beef and cheese omelet with jalapeños, onions and spinach, bacon, several sausage links, yogurt parfait with strawberries and orange juice. I would then brush my teeth, get dressed, and gather all my school things. This included my textbooks, my Alphasmart Neo 2, my homework folder, my homework planner and my lunch. I always packed my lunch the night before so I will spend less time preparing it. Usually I would eat lunch at the campus, and my lunch is the same thing. A spicy chicken and cheese sandwich with spinach, a red apple and a frosted fudge brownie for dessert. For two days a week, I would have a chicken caesar salad with tomato soup and some pudding for dessert.  My dinners vary every day, but I always have dessert at the end. At 8:30pm, I would take a shower and would read in bed until 9:30, and be asleep by 10. It's a bloody good routine if I do say so myself.

Anyways, Here I am at the Colchester Community College, taking a creative writing class. It was a cool October afternoon, and long sleeves are becoming common. My professor was giving a lecture on Character development, and I was dutifully taking notes as he was talking. The professor was talking about character arcs and how to properly develop them. I made sure to pay attention, because what he was saying is super important. After class was finished, I went over to the cafe to get myself a drink, when I overheard a couple of blokes talking.

"You've visited that new magician?" One of them asked.

"You mean that bird in the beach hut on the sea? I sure did." Replied the other. " I tell you, she gives me the creeps."

"Same here." replied the first. "She was going on about unlucky numbers and all that rubbish. I mean, I've had some bad luck, but it has nothing to do with what she is talking about."

"Too right! She made so many bogus predictions it's ridiculous." The second said with an angry tone in his voice. "I tell you, I want to burn that place down with her in it!"

That got me spooked. As my mum and dad taught me, arson is a very serious crime. My brother was sent to jail because he burned down several houses that some of my special olympics mates lived in. Thankfully they survived, and my brother was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. I don't want anyone to make the same mistake he made, so I decided to walk over to them and try to talk some sense into them.

"Oi, lads!"

The two lads turned to me with a confused look. One of them asked, "Can I help you?"

"I ended up overhearing your conversation, and I just wanted to let you know that arson is a terrible idea. You could end up in prison for it. And what's this I hear about a magician lady in a beach hut on the sea?"

"She's a new resident who moved here two months ago." The first bloke said. "She bought the house that is located right in the sea, and she earns a living by telling people all kinds of rubbish for a hefty price. She would also perform magic shows for the town, though some of her magic tricks were quite dangerous. She would even pull pranks on the elderly. I tell you, something is off about her."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"You can get to the hut by walking all the way to the end of the beach and wind though a wooden pathway that seems never ending. I'm honestly amazed the place survived the many storms that came its way." The second bloke said.

That got me amazed and disturbed. How can a wooden shack in the middle of the sea survive a raging storm? It sounds like it was magical intervention, the perfect place for a magician.

I thanked the lads for their time, said goodbye and walked right into my next class. After a long lecture, I tutored some of the students that were struggling. I then went into the college cafe to get a small snack, and after that I walked straight home. As I was walking, I couldn't help but think about what the lads said. Who was that magician, and why did she come here? Where did she come from, and why live somewhere so secluded? Did she have a family? The sooner I find answers to these questions, the better.